Some of the earliest examples of dress rings among headdresses and other ancient jewelry can be seen today in museums such as the one at the University of Pennsylvania where jewelry from the ancient city of Ur south of Baghdad, Iraq was salvaged after archaeological digs in the 1920 ’s…

What features of opal would make it so desirable as an engagement ring?

Modern diamond embedded opal ring using crystal opal

Well, there are so many gorgeous gemstones featured in rings. The most expensive usually being diamonds if they are of high quality but sapphires, rubies, emeralds and other colored stones often compete with them in price and appeal.

The thing that makes opals stand out from all of them is the fact that they have this amazing knack of attracting the human eye almost as if they are alive because they often change from one color to another as they are rotated even slightly.

Why does an Opal engagement rings show the stone more than other types of jewelry?

The obvious reason is that the hand moves more than (for example) the neck, so the stone catches light coming from many different directions and the color role from one to another.

This is because the surface of the opal is made up of minute spheres that grab the color from the spectrum and change it to different colors. Hence an opal ring can be basically red but when it turned can turn to greens, yellows, and blues, depending on the size of the microscopic spheres.

Opal engagement rings – totally unique in the world of gemstones

Technically this is correct with whatever gemstone you are wearing but it must be said that even though no two diamonds are identical the difference with opal is that they are OBVIOUSLY different, whereas the white of the diamond, the blue of the sapphire, or the green of an emerald can look pretty much the same.

So it could be said that opal is the ‘personality stone’

Opal engagement rings Color preferences

Maybe you have a color that you like more than others. Perhaps your outfits reflect that preference.

Your decision to buy an opal engagement ring might well be influenced by the colors of those outfits although as an engagement ring it must suit whatever outfit you like because it may well reflect many colors. Although most opals have what could be described as a ‘theme color’ which dominates and the other colors are variations of it.

Opal engagement ring designs

The designs shown here are just examples. The Ladi-Di design, for example, has been named after the engagement ring given to The Princess of Wales by Charles, in the early 1980’s. It’s a traditional diamond surround design.

If you have your own design idea you can do a rough sketch of it and send it to us for completion. Or you may see a ring already in existence that you like. Just take a picture and send to us. Peter will be happy to give you some ideas and whether you buy something on this site or not, he is pleased to offer suggestions. You can contact Peter in the offline, leave a message box(bottom right-hand corner of the page) herein the contacts page or in the blog at the bottom of this page

simple way of finding a size by checking the diameter of an existing ring

Make sure you get the right size. Rings, of course, can be sized but in the case of an opal dress ring, it’s better if the supplier does the sizing so that they can make sure the job is done right without affecting the stone.

Take a look at these rings for ideas. If you like any of these rings, check the different sizes for different rings and you might find the ring that suits your finger so you don’t have to worry about sizing. Go here for some interesting information about how to find your finger size in different countries.

A special warning Just about every day I get folks from around the world really upset about a ring they have purchased from well-meaning jewelers with an opal that has either lost its color or turned an ugly brown. These stones come from countries where the climate is too wet.

The opal is called ‘hydrophane’ and is very porous and apart from being prone to cracking, it absorbs water which takes away the color. Sometimes the color can be restored after drying out but it’s too risky. Our suggestion is to only buy Australian opals because of the dry climate where they are found. If you want help in making a decision, Peter is always willing to assist. There is no obligation to buy.

Comments from opal engagement ring buyers “Thank you so much. The ring is exactly what we were after. The design & stone is amazing. This is a present for our daughter and she will be able to keep this ring and hand it on. Peter has done a fantastic job and nothing to was too much to ask. Highly recommend Peter and his work. Thanks”